#would be to have Cosette hate Javert as much as Valjean hates Marius

[secretmellowblog]

I personally can never get into all the fanon stuff that has Javert being a father figure to Cosette because I'm always like "well, he DID kill Cosette's mother....that was kind of a significant thing that happened...even in the musical he terrorized her a bunch, but in the book he terrorized her until she died in agony, and a big part of Cosette's character is that she doesn't know what happened to her mother and desperately wants to know....idk? I feel like that's sort of a significant Thing to leave out". Though again, I get it's because people are basing it on the musical where Javert is less evil to Fantine specifically

[kim-the-miserable-rat]

I SAW A TIKTOK WHERE A GUY SAID THAT "LES MIS" WAS JUST A THREE HOUR MUSICAL OF THE FRENCH COMPLAINING

(and I mean, he's not entirely wrong.)

(JUST ACT 1 CAUSE I UNDERESTIMATED HOW LONG THIS WOULD TAKE ME)

So here's a list of what they complain about in each song:

LOOK DOWN: the prison system sucks

PROLOGUE: the life of an exconvict sucks

VALJEAN'S SOLILOQUY: this guy is too nice how dare he? And also the prison system still sucks.

AT THE END OF THE DAY: my workplace is full of cunts

I DREAMED A DREAM: men are the worst

LOVELY LADIES: selling my necklace, hair and becoming a prostitute to help my child is something that I have all the right to be mad about (she's completely right, Fantine you deserved sooooo much better queen)

FANTINE'S ARREST: (to the bourgeoisie asshole) stop dehumanizing me I will fight you (to javert) your justice is not fair (to Jean Valjean) It's kinda your fault that im in this situation tbh

THE RUNAWAY CART: (javert) YO HOMIE WTF ARE YOU HULK? [suspecting]or are you buff because of slavery?.....

WHO AM I?: Oh poo! Now I have to choose between lying (it will make god sad) or going back to jail (hundreds of people will lose their jobs and end up living in misery by my actions) Fuck them workers, im an honest man, lets save that one innocent man.

THE TRIAL: the justice system is flawed. Look at my sick ass tattoo in my chest. Ok nvm im going to se Fantine fuck you all.

FANTINE'S DEATH: I will never see my daughter again this is so unfair (it really is)

THE CONFRONTATION: (Jean Valjean) Javert could you FUCKING WAIT A SECOND! I HAVE SOMETHING IMPORTANT TO DO(Javert) Im going to drop all my lore in two lines that you will not get cause were all singing at the same time; and NO, you can't just go, WTF?

CASTLE ON A CLOUD: HELLO, CHILD SLAVERY???? SOMEBODY HELP THIS CHILD ASAP!!!

MASTER OF THE HOUSE: Madam Thenardier has a solo just to talk shit about his husband (and he deserves every bit of it)

THE BARGAIN: (Thenardiers) NO, OF COURSE YOU CAN'T TAKE OUR LITTLE TREASURE AWAY -unless you pay for her, that is-

PARIS (look down reprise): EVERYTHING IS AWFUL, WE HATE IT HERE!

THE ROBBERY: (Eponine) FUCK YOU MARIUS MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS! (Javert) Ewwww... i hate criminals! and also poor people. Same thing to me, really.

STARS: I'm so obsessed with that fugitive that it's starting to blur into an homoerotic desire. Also HOW DARE HE to be free? I will hunt him for sport

EPONINE'S ERRAND: (Eponine) So now I have to help YOU, the boy im in love with to find a random girl? ALSO WTF DON'T GIVE ME MONEY YOU ASSHOLE.

ABC CAFE: (Enjolras) STOP WHINING MARIUS, NO ONE CARES ABOUT YOUR NON EXISTENT LOVE LIFE, WE ARE PLANNING A REVOLUTION HERE, YOU KNOW? Also please guys can we take this thing seriously? Please please please :(

DO YOU HEAR THE PEOPLE SING?: (the people, obviously) time to eat the rich or die trying!

RUE PLUMMET/IN MY LIFE: (Cosette) father, ur cool to be around and all that but.... Who the fuck are you? And why do we act like we are convicts running from the law (cause ur dad kinda is, sweetie)

A HEART FULL OF LOVE: (Eponine) It fucking sucks to have helped my crush find the girl he's in love with[who would have thought?] Guess I will look at them longingly from like five feet away while they confess their love for each other and purposefully ignore me.

THE ATTACK ON RUE PLUMMET: (Eponine) GODAMNIT they will think I'm one of those assholes I have to do something! Go away or I'll scream IM INSANE I WILL FUCKING DO IT. Also fuck you dad. (Babet) I DON'T FUCKING CARE ABOUT THE LORE, GIVE ME MY FUCKING MONEY THENARDIER (Thenardier) Im surrounded by idiots! (Jean Valjean) TIME TO GET THE FUCK OUT OF HERE, FUCK EVERYONE WHO WANTS TO SEE MY DOWNFALL.

ONE DAY MORE: (Jean Valjean) Kinda sucks to have to run from the law [yeah homie we noticed that] (Marius & Cosette) OH NO! I'LL BE SEPARATED FROM THE LOVE OF MY LIFE THAT I MET A WEEK AGO. WHAT A GREAT TRAGEDY (Eponine) Marius still doesnt care about me. (Enjolras) He's not complaining, he's having the best time of his life. Good for him. Enjoy it while it lasts, citizen! (Javert) Guess I'll go as a spy with this cool new outfit. [Again, not a complain but important to notice]

OK, THIS DESCENDED INTO MADNESS.

EXPECT ACT 2 SOON :)

[ineffable-gallimaufry]

characters in les mis (musical) ranked on how good their introductions were:

jean valjean: 9/10 he actually says his name and like . conveniently gives us his backstory while talking to javert which was nice

javert: 10/10 literally says his name and then says "do not forget my name" so forcefully i managed to not forget his name immediately so that was good

the bishop: 5/10 solid but not enough context. could've used a whole five minute song about only him beforehand tbh (kidding i swear)

fantine: 9/10 she does have people say her name which is good, she doesn't say it directly but like she does fill in her situation well. also i would feel bad for giving her a low score since her intro is literally her having a horrible time

bamatabois: 3/10 he never says his name and he's a huge asshole . only gets a three because it conveyed his character well + javert was there. but he also gets a three because i hate him

fauchelevent: 10/10 because. it's the runaway cart man . best song in les mis. also they do say his name so it works

cosette: 10/10 her name is said over and over again before she's even onstage + her introduction really shows the bleakness of the situation she lives in with the thénardiers

mme thénardier: 8/10 she doesn't say her name but it is a good introduction nonetheless . 8/10 instead of 9/10 because it isn't like. my favorite favorite but it is good

eponine: 6/10 controversial but sorry. i feel like they introduce us to eponine as kind of a brat (with her name which is nice) and even maybe as helping her mother directly to hurt cosette whereas we don't get a good enough reintroduction to her character in act two that gives us a better idea of her character as someone who's arguably just as hurt by the thénardiers as cosette. it's still okay though

m thénardier: 10/10 they say his name and then immediately he gets master of the house? it's a good introduction to the fact he's a big old thief and it's also kind of a bop. no notes

gavroche: 10/10 his name is in his first line. and it gives you a very good impression of him. i don't have any notes alright . i mean they kinda give the impression he's not related to thénardier but i can't fault them for not including that since it's not a HUGE plot point

enjolras: 2/10 i genuinely do not think anyone ever adresses this guy by name. i only remembered he was supposed to be there after i watched the play and then had to hunt down the actor's name in my playbill so i could see if i remembered him. like he just felt like another member of les amis tbh. two points because at least he's still characterized well

marius: 5/10 we hear his name from enjolras and because we get no context for his life before this point he feels so damn uninteresting... like all we get is the "ooh marius is in looove" without ANY context of his life outside of that. literally just there to fall in love with cosette and it shows

les amis de l'abc: 4/10 i am grouping them together because they literally get NO distinguishing qualities from each other in their introductions. grantaire making fun of someone is alright for things grantaire would do but like. can we not give that to courfeyrac?? why are all of them such non characters in this introduction?? like at least we get a few name drops from enjolras but i am just not really a fan. courfeyrac should be in here more since marius lives with him but i guess that doesn't matter because marius had his whole backstory surgically removed to make room for the brick to not be a million year long play. whatever. probably why lesgle gets nothing either despite the fact he introduced marius to les amis. didn't know this got on my nerves so much

patron-minette: 5/10 i mean. it's AN introduction but also to be fair i can't get mad too much since they're not major characters+ they are kinda interchangeable in the end. only montparnasse got a name drop but they did also keep my favorite eponine moment largely intact so. eh. whatever they get a five for being mediocre

[cliozaur]

That’s what it means to speak out! In this really long chapter, both Marius and Jean Valjean spoke more than in the whole book! (Ok, Marius did have his moments a couple of times, but Valjean has never spoken SO much.)

What is interesting, Valjean speaks very matter-of-factly: he doesn’t waffle but immediately says that he is an ex-convict. And Marius’ reaction to these words is so revealing! And sadly, it is very similar to Cosette’s reaction to the gang of convicts they met a year or so ago. This means that Valjean’s fears were not unfounded. But Marius and we all want to know: why not to keep this information for himself? People in their society do not want to look beyond such labels, even Marius becomes blind to the essence of who Valjean really is as soon as he hears that he is an ex-convict. So why does Valjean have to be so exhibitionistic?

Valjean’s reasoning is very complex. To start with, he tells his life story in a rather unflattering key, forgetting to mention all the important circumstances. “What am I to Cosette? A passer-by. Ten years ago, I did not know that she was in existence.” He never mentions that he saved her from abuse, misery, and maybe even death. And, of course, he never says about his role in Marius’ own rescue from the barricade. Then there is Valjean’s honesty and conscience. And it’s an amazing paradox that the man who is the best expert in lying and playing roles to survive and save Cosette, is unable to keep away just one truth when it comes to matters of honour, morality, and Cosette’s safety. This brings to mind parallels with Javert: he was pathologically unable to lie even about small things his whole life but eventually managed to tell lies in a decisive moment (let’s think it was decisive enough); whereas Valjean could easily lie about most things, but had to be pathologically honest in the decisive moment.

It might sound strange, but I like this chapter for the opportunity to hear Jean Valjean finally speaking for himself at length. It’s not the author, the omnipresent and omniscient Hugo, but Valjean finally expressing himself—his feelings, fears, moral code, etc. This is killing me: “To be a false signature in flesh and blood, to be a living false key, to enter the house of honest people by picking their lock, never more to look straightforward, to forever eye askance, to be infamous within the I, no! no! no! no! no! It is better to suffer, to bleed, to weep, to tear one’s skin from the flesh with one’s nails, to pass nights writhing in anguish, to devour oneself body and soul.”

But, of course, I hate most of this chapter. Especially the part involving Cosette. What has happened to her? Why is she acting like this? And Marius is absolutely terrible to her – and it’s just after one night of married life! He repeats: “We are talking business,” like a parrot. “We are talking figures. That will bore you.” She can manage figures! She was managing the whole household for several years. Cosette is joking when she says: “My husband beats me,” but it is still quite disturbing.

I absolutely hate this dialogue: “do you think… that I ought not to see Cosette any more?” - “I think that would be better.” – “I shall never see her more.” This is the beginning of Valjean’s slow suicide. Despite Hugo several times emphasizing that suicide is against Valjean’s belief, there are several hints that we are dealing with an inventive form of suicide. Reference to the seventh circle of hell—reserved for those who take their own life—in the title of this chapter is one of them.

[dolphin1812]

 I highly recommend looking through @everyonewasabird's analysis for this chapter, particularly the title and the issues present for Cosette, as it’s extremely insightful.

Valjean is continuing the trend of poor decision-making by the characters after a sleepless night (he is also the one usually making these decisions).

Seeing Marius call Valjean “father” hurts because it would be so nice for him to have a living father figure! But it’s about to go so badly! 

And the future Marius imagines is actually beautiful! When he speaks of his relationship with Cosette, he always says “we” and “our” here (“we” don’t want you staying in the old house, for instance). His phrasing suggests a partnership where he and Cosette make decisions together. He’s trying to make Valjean at home, too, and he’s also pointing out how he can be a part of her life (their walks!!). The idea of a Gillenormand-Valjean friendship is so preposterous that it’s almost funny, but he has good intentions.

. . .  But of course, Jean Valjean can’t accept happiness, so he has to tell Marius about his true identity. I understand why Marius is shocked, but I still hate how he immediately thinks of his own future rather than the man in front of him. The tomb comparison is concerning.

It’s so frustrating how Valjean downplays his relationship with Cosette, too. He’s so much more than a “passers-by” to her, and although it’s true that he loves children in general, he doesn’t love Cosette in the way he’s a “grandfather” to all children. He loves her as his daughter specifically. He’s trying to reason Cosette into the place of the random people he’s rescued, but it doesn’t work, and not only because he actually does end up building relationships by his kind acts (as seen with Fauchelevent, who was offended that Valjean didn’t recognize him after impacting him so deeply). It doesn’t work because Cosette is the most important relationship in his life.

Another sad detail: if this isn’t the longest amount of time Jean Valjean has ever spoken for, then it’s certainly up there. The rambling style is how the misérables speak (the references to Champmathieu are probably incomprehensible to Marius), but the content is purely his self-hatred as he projects a stereotypical bourgeois perspective onto himself and then projects that view onto others.

Deciding that he must be miserable and arrest himself out of “duty” is also the most Javert thing he has ever done. 

Cosette! Marius is trying to save Valjean here, but it’s so clear that Marius’ ideal has already fallen apart. Cosette is completely excluded from decision-making. Her protests at their treatment of her and their secretiveness are ignored. Valjean may not be able to stick with his initial thought of avoiding her entirely, but she’s still marginalized in the household, and it’s only been a day.

[for-the-love-of-javert]

Les Miserables 1978: My Review

I want to stress this before I go any further. I enjoyed watching this film but not as much as I enjoyed the 1925 epic.

The Good Stuff

It was a good watch and if i hadn't known the story, seen the musical, or watched other versions of the film then I woudl possibly have enjoyed it more than I did. Good acting, great costumes, and it was lovely to see some well known legends and actors who were familiar to me from programmes I watched in my childhood.

At first I wasn't sure about Richard Jordan as Valjean but he grew on me as the film progressed. Now when I see watch Les Mis and see Valjean doing something awesome I want to be wowed by it and at times it was possible to predict what was going to happen. Like when he saved that dude who fell down the side of the walls outside the prison and was left dangling there. I knew he was going to use that opportunity to escape. I just didn't realise that he would be successful in that escape because that's not what I remember in the book. He was a little bit of a wet blanket for me.

Anthony Perkins acted the part well though I did side eye a few scenes where he seemed a bit too much of a wet blanket. After seeing Philip Quast perform The Confrontation with Colm Wilkinson, I prefer Javert expressing a bit more anger and disgust when talking about being born in prison and so on. Overall he played the part well I'm just not sure that he was well suited to the role physically. He was too slim and as previously stated he has brown eyes (my boy Javert had blue eyes), his sideburns weren't bushy enough for my liking and I know I'm being a petty bitch but Javert's sideburns are important imo. He didn't look imposing enough however the were times when Perkins totally pulled off the stance and attitude of Javert for instance standing still with arms folded (like Napoleon) and the suspiscious gaze. He wasn't quite as authoritarian as I would have liked him to be. It's a shame because Perkins was such an awesome actor. He could have really pushed things a bit further. But he didn't. As for the suicide scene, NO COMMENT except for, where in the fuck did they buy that mannequin from and couldn't they have thrown it from a higher point. It looked like a mannequin falling into the paddling pool at the local swimming baths, if you know what I mean.

Missing Characters

Yep I've got a massive bee in my bonnet about this, no Eponine, No Patron Minette, No Enjolras, WTF??

Re-writing The Canon Story.

I'm going to keep this short. The were chunks of the story missing, things that happen in the book that imo are important to the story as a whole. Also some things they kept from the canon story but changed somewhat. Like Marius and Cosettes relationship development (the stalking) and how Javert meets up with Valjean after he rescues Marius. Thenardier not being in the sewers when Valjean was carrying Marius through them. Valjean's death, half of Fantine's story was missing. Parts of the canon story that normally choke me up and make me weepy, didn't.

My Final Verdict

I enjoyed watching it. Imo it's ideal for Sunday afternoon viewing when you want to watch something you don't need to think much about because you're still hung over from Saturday night wine time and your brain isn't working. I didn't love it, but. I didn't hate it. I might watch it again in the future but I don't know. I got screenshots and will post them soon. I'm glad I watched it. But it's not a version of Les Mis I can watch over and over (like I do with The TAC). The 1925 epic is still the top film for me at this point.

I'll watch another Les Mis movie very soon. Poll coming up shortly to halp me choose which one.

Special mention for the late, great Sit John Gielgud. No particular reason for this other than him being an absolute legend and wonderful actor.

[lenievi]

Wanted to gather my thoughts, so here they are re: bbc!Javert's arc related to Valjean saving people when Javert is around. And some other related thoughts. Not that organized, but well...

From Javert's POV, he watched Valjean save a guard, a guy under the cart, Fantine, Champ, (Cosette), and finally Marius.

In Toulon, Valjean saves a guard's life, after failing to kill him, but that's beside the point; funnily enough Javert didn't notice that Valjean did it on purpose because he wasn't watching at that moment, so he only saw him saving a life. And because he did, and Javert went ??? he called him to his little torture chamber and his first question was: Why did you save his life? Javert thought Valjean did it to get a reward, to be released, because why else would a convict save a life, right? Plus, he thinks Valjean did it to ridicule Javert. He's just looking for reasons, and makes it personal. Javert singles out Valjean, because he doesn't understand him, because Valjean's actions don't make sense to him, because Valjean disregarded his authority - Javert was in charge, he was giving orders, and his men failed and Valjean "won"; he makes up an imaginary contest in his own head and thinks he's superior. And if he was a criminal? He'd be better than Valjean too.

When Valjean saves Fantine from getting arrested, Javert asks: What exactly does this woman mean to you, Monsieur le Maire? because again, he can't wrap his head around why he would do that, why he would risk the mayor's reputation to help a prostitute (if there wasn't something between them). And to cross Javert. Again.

At this point, he has three instances of Valjean saving someone (the guy under the cart is the third one, which happened before Fantine). But because Javert is so wrapped in self-hate and Valjean-hate, he doesn't actually process what it means, exactly. He just knows that Valjean would save a person in need, even if that person is unrelated to him, even if they have no connections. And so he sets up a trap with Champ and the trial in Arras.

(I do believe his "you astonish me" was genuine, but then he suppressed it and continued with his "gotta uncover Valjean" and did not process it)

The thing about this adaptation is that Javert didn't ask Madeleine to ask for his dismissal; Javert turned in his resignation to Madeleine. But Madeleine's not in charge of the police, the only thing that Javert did, imho, was to resign from his position as the police inspector in Montreuil. He didn't resign from the police force. So even if Valjean didn't bite and fall into his trap, Javert would just have to leave Montreuil (and wait for a different opportunity, which would be harder since "Jean Valjean" would be imprisoned, and Javert’s own career might be postponed). But I digress. (I could also be wrong, but this makes the most sense to me.)

When Valjean does come forward, Javert is elated. He was right from the beginning, and that's pretty much his only thought. He doesn't stop to think what it says about Valjean, he just wants to see him in chains again. And he does, and he's happy. Javert relocates to Paris, gets promoted, and probably lives a pretty content life for two years. Like in the book, he probably even forgot about Valjean because he was behind the bars.

And then, Valjean makes a comeback. Javert makes his whole department believe that Valjean is very dangerous (a note: Javert believes this. He thinks Valjean is dangerous and he's also afraid – among other things – of him and his strength) and they spent time and resources on catching him. And Javert fails and loses Valjean for 10 years. And since then, nothing can satisfy him, nothing can give him pleasure. He's lonely and depressed and his failure, the fact that Valjean is at large, haunts him, and his obsession gets worse. He makes a picture of Valjean in his head, believing that he's laughing at him and mocking him. "I shall never be at peace until he’s back in chains."

Gorbeau House happens. Javert gets worse to the point where he even ignores his job, but isn't even aware of it because he connects Valjean with the revolution in his mind. It all makes sense in his head. There's nothing in his mind but Valjean. When he catches him, everything will be fine again. Everything that has been lacking in his life is the fault of "Valjean being free". That is Javert's mindset. Has been for 10 years in this series. Not only does he project his self-hatred but also his self-worth on Valjean.

Barricade happens. Javert genuinely believes that Valjean would kill him. And Valjean lets him go, and Javert doesn't get it. And he finally starts to think and processing, but it was only after he saw Valjean saving Marius that an even bigger shift happened.

Javert: That young man… is he a… particular friend… of yours? Would you say he’s… dear to you? Valjean: Quite the contrary. If he lives, he intends to rob me of all my happiness. Javert: And yet you… are you insane? Valjean: No, I don’t think so. Are you?

Once again, Javert sees Valjean saving someone. Once again, he asks him why? Who is Marius to him? Is he close? Is he dear to him? He's choosing the words carefully, not because of jealousy (even though that subtext is fun too, but not the primary one imho), but because he wants to believe that Marius is someone Valjean cares about. Because if he is, then yes, it makes sense because people save those they're close to. But Valjean tells him that no. That Marius's someone who will rob him, cause him harm. And he still saves him.

From Javert's POV, saving the guard in Toulon brought Javert's wrath. Saving the guy under the cart gave Javert ammunition. Saving Fantine risked the mayor's reputation (and gave Javert more ammunition). Saving Champ cost Valjean his freedom. Letting Javert go meant that Javert could still continue his hunt and it would cost Valjean's freedom again. And now, saving Marius is also detrimental for Valjean himself.

Javert finally understands that Valjean is a good person who helps those who need it. He is a person who redeemed himself. The image Javert created in his mind was a lie. All that Valjean has done in his life, as Madeleine, was good and genuine. And Javert? He wasted years and years on a man who did not exist.

Javert: Are you insane? Valjean: No, I don't think so. Are you?

Javert: I let [Valjean] go. Rivette: An act of clemency? Javert: An act of madness.

And I just genuinely enjoy his character.

[brizadeiro-doce]

Books I've read in 2023 and 2024

War and Peace:

Bro, I've only readed it cos of the fucking Peanuts Movie. This book is 90% rich Russians crying over nothing and 10% gayness. But listen, Pierre and Andrei had the most unspoken yaoi tension. Natasha was a mess, but like, same. I read this in class, and people looked at me like I brought a brick to school—which I kinda did. Leo’s toystore by warren pierce is my fav book. 10/10.

Don Quixote:

I wasn’t ready for this to actually be funny. Like, why is a 400-year-old book doing slapstick comedy better than Netflix? Don Quixote is peak delusional, and Sancho Panza is peak relatable. But seriously, Cervantes, did you need to make every scene 20 pages? I’m begging you to chill. I read it in class and almost snorted out loud multiple times. Would I reread it? Only if I needed to sound smart at a party.

The Metamorphosis:

Kafka really woke up one day and said, "What if life sucked even harder, but also you’re a bug?" Gregor Samsa deserved better; his family was trash, his boss was trash, and even his bug body was trash. I felt too seen with this one. Also, my copy came with The Hunger Artist and Letters to Father, so I got the full Kafka experience. Later, i ended up needing to choose a book to make a slide show 4 class, and i picked Metamorphosis. Read this in class(where else) and got hit with existential dread during math. 9/10.

The Stranger:

Camus really wrote a whole book about a guy who doesn’t care about anything, and honestly, iconic. But also, what was even the point? I don’t remember half of it because Meursault was just vibing through life, and I was vibing through the pages. I read it and suddenly felt like I should start smoking cigarettes and wearing sunglasses inside home. French people are built differently. Camus, bro, why did you make me feel both smart and stupid at the same time? 8/10.

The Catcher in the Rye:

Holden Caulfield is that kid in your class who thinks they’re the only one who’s ever been sad before. He is THE most annoying person you’ll ever meet, but also, I’m him, and he’s me. Salinger really wrote a whole book about a teenager complaining and made it iconic. I read this because of Submarine (2010), and now I kinda want to bully Holden. I hated how much I loved it, but also, why is Holden such a little hater? Go to therapy, bro. Or don’t. It’s funnier that way. The vibes were immaculate but also insufferable. Salinger, explain yourself. 10/10.

Les Misérables:

Okay, so Les Misérables was an experience. Javert and Valjean? They’re 100% gay. If you don’t see it, are you even reading? There’s no way these two aren’t just having a slow-burn, tragic love story on the side. The tension between them is palpable, and it’s practically fanfic material—Victor Hugo low-key wrote a gay love story that society wasn’t ready for. The fact that they never actually kiss or confess feels like a missed opportunity. Fantine deserved way better. Cosette, though… I can’t say I’m a fan. She’s kind of just there, being bland and perfect while everyone else’s lives fall apart. I felt zero connection to her character, especially when Marius was acting like he’s ready to throw it all away for her. Marius is my favorite character, though. 8/10.

[genderfeel]

I saw you were taking asks and, I was instantly hooked by your golden bachelor valvert and I would love to hear/see anything more about that story that you might like to share! <3

ahhhhhh ty!!!!!!! i honestly don’t want to say too much about it in detail bc i might be unwell enough to write a little fic for it……..

but nevertheless i will say one of my favorite valvert things is so in the forefront in this setup which is javert loving when valjean is an asshole / letting go of the whole niceguy persona. like obviously valjean is a nice dude but valjean having to be The Bachelor is sm pressure to be this poised, perfect, constructed person. and when javert gets to see glimmers of his actual personality behind the mask, especially moments where valjean gets to be a dick (he first encounters this with how valjean talks about marius), he’s like Oh i need this old man carnally

i think it’s also a bit of a rare au where valjean starts to fall first before javert is even aware of his own feelings but valjean keeps it to himself. he figures he’s getting engaged anyway to one of these women to make cosette happy (he has an extremely skewed perception of what cosette actually wants for him) and figures javert sort of hates him anyway

also fun fact their toulon backstory is that valjean was on some american ninja warrior style show when he was younger but got booted for cheating. javert happened to be on set as a baby PA, the rest is history. dumbest AU to date

[lunettes-a-ninny]

CW: if you haven't read les misérables, there are mentions of violence, suicide, death and guns

hello, i just finished los miserables (1971), and i thought it would be fun to do a little review since i found it through tumblr!

if i haven't formally introduced myself before, my name is lunette (they/them). i'm autistic and my special interest is les misérables! my favourite character is javert, and i am marius' number one hater and always have been 😎

as for the miniseries, i would like to give it a solid 7/10!

so for the first bit of the series (from bishop myriel up to younger cosette), i found the plot pretty stable and accurate!

i enjoy bishop myriel. i love bishop myriel in every adaptation, but i like his little writing-a-letter scene. he's just a sweetheart in every adaptation. honestly, what more can i say.

i'd like to say that there really isn't that much special about this valjean. nothing really differentiates him from other valjeans, other then him being pocket-sized.

i hate, hate, HATE the pointless dream sequences in this series. they're a waste of time and take away time from other important scenes. i find these sequences happening a LOT with valjean, but there are so many better ways to show what he's feeling.

however, i LOVE his little friendship with javert at the beginning of the series. instead of javert being his usually broody self, he's actually very happy for valjean when he's elected as mayor and he's honestly a gentleman in this series sometimes which is a SURPRISE.

honestly, i have to say that i like this javert. of course it's important to have javert be a stern and strict man of the law, which this javert is, but it's also important to recognize that he isn't a terrible person, which this series also does! a problem i've had with other adaptations, such as the BBC miniseries, is that they sometimes add cruel things to javert's character that honestly don't make sense for him.

i like that they included how valjean got into the convent, it's such an awesome scene in the book that isn't always included.

nooooow we come to the point where the plot gets weaker. the second section of the series. warning, this part of the post will sound like i'm angry and complaining, but i'm just very passionate! i still enjoyed the series :))

a lot of the time with les misérables adaptations i find that they get weaker during the rebellion and the other important scenes before and after that. this series in particular, though, definitely had some trouble setting these scenes up.

first of all, i'd like to say that i just can't get attached to the characters in this second part. they spend so much time on marius and cosette that the amis just don't seem as important anymore. even important characters like gavroche just don't seem to matter, which makes their deaths so much less impactful. i didn't even realize everyone was dying when that scene started. they also aren't really mentioned again by marius or anyone after the rebellion, which i find a little odd.

speaking of marius and cosette, this marius did an AMAZING job of being a creep. again, if you haven't seen my previous posts, i hate marius. he is a 22 year old being a creep to a 17 year old, what more can i say? however, if you disagree, i am not looking to start arguments, so please do not come after me for my opinion. in this series, he tells cosette, "you're such a child" when she starts crying. THIS MADE ME MAAAAD. SHE IS A CHILD, MARIUS. there are many more scenes that just made me plain uncomfortable, including dream sequences and unnecessary comments made by marius. either way, there was WAAAY too much time spent on marius and cosette.

unfortunately, because too much time was spent on unnecessary scenes, VERY necessary scenes were cut shorter. whaaat was going on with the scene where valjean frees javert? they barely said two words to each other! it had no impact! the entire scene was:

"it is time for your revenge, valjean."

"you can go."

"be careful!"

"i don't know if you'll make it out alive, but my address is [insert address i can't remember right now]."

this was just ... uuuugh. more happened in that tiny moment we got in the novel!

okay, now to the part where it gets better!

the sewer scene was painfully long, like always, which is definitely accurate to the book. and that's the thing with this series, it IS accurate to the book for the most part, which is awesome for 16 episodes!

thénardier creeping up on valjean and grabbing his shoulders had me CACKLING. it was like the "guess who!" game. and also valjean being too short to properly carry marius was amazing. even THÉNARDIER was helping valjean lift that man up.

the carriage ride scene .... i am in TEARS laughing at marius laying on top of them. this is definitely awkward. i feel awkward FOR them, which is always good. javert looks sleepy as hell, though. get him a good night's sleep and maybe a hug.

i'm gonna need them to start making these marius scenes shorter, though. gillenormand i don't have TIIIIME for this shut your old ass up (i know this scene is accurate and important i'm just a marius hater).

JAVERT'S SUICIDE SCENE ... i looove how they include his new attitude in the novel of walking with his head down, and i love that they include him going back to the station to write his letter! the letter is different from the novel, but i really liked the line, "don't blame anyone for my death. i die because life has taught me something that, until now, i had been unable to discover."

this line shows a kind of growth within this character, just like the original letter.

however, i don't like that they chose to have him use a gun rather than jump into the seine. it takes a lot away from the scene, but i can't really explain it. it just doesn't feel in character for javert, for some reason. i still think it was well done, however, and i certainly cried over it, so that's good enough in my book.

i'm gonna be honest i tend to zone out during the gillenormand scenes because i just ... don't like him either. but from what i did see, the ending with marius and cosette is no different than any other adaptation, which is fine with me.

i do like that they include the scene with thénardier and azelma in the carriage, though! that's not something i see often.

they also include the moment where valjean cries over cosette's old clothes, which i've always found to be a very powerful scene that demonstrated valjean's love for his daughter. he could also use a hug.

for the last episode, i don't have too much to say. this isn't because they did a bad job, but it's just the same as any other adaptation, so i don't really have much to say about it.

i did enjoy the line, "no one is pursuing me. i'm pursued by myself. " i found it very powerful and important to valjean's character.

valjean's death was a little sudden, but it wasn't the worst i've seen of it. i did like the ending, where valjean talks about meeting bishop myriel again.

overall, this series was a good and powerful potrayal of les misérables, especially for one with a low budget. it did fall a little weak during the second part, but it still had an impact. the characters were also portrayed very well, and some were very accurate to the book.

thanks for reading, and let me know if you want any other reviews, as i've seen many different les misérables adaptations!

[5a-alf]

As of late I've been obsessed with two fandoms: Les mis and Merlin (yes I'm ten years late on everything) so rightfully I decided to mash the two and this is the result

A Les Mis Merlin!AU,

starring Enjolras as Arthur and Les amis as the knights, bar grantaire that is gonna be Merlin.

Enjolras is a prat in a different way from Arthur, he tends to fail to see from others' prospective and is quite oblivious to feelings and emotional nuance. As a noble he would lack the ability to understand _why_ poor people/sorcerers _don't_ fight for better treatment. He expects them to. He doesn't understand having too much on your plate to do that, nor fearing for your life

Grantaire as Merlin would be a much more reclutant Emrys. He is a cynic, but it'd stem from being constantly scared of death. He'd bring Enj down a notch and make him see the reality of being a commoner, or of having magic. He is so strong he is afraid of his own power, and he doesn't want the weight of the responsability; every magic person is counting of him and he is convinced that he would fail them if he tried.

In this AU magic would be banned in Camelot by the king (role that would fit Javert to a T, ignoring the familiar relations) but Arthur!Enjolras would be pro magic from the start, AND somewhat open about that position. He is the head the knights and has a inner circle made of Les amis that are also pro magic.

I think it would make the most sense for grantaire to keep the magic to himself, even after knowing their stance on it. Maybe it could be revealed that he is a magic user early on, but he would keep being Emrys under wraps. Destiny is shit anyway.

He would gladly lay his life down for Enj and do anything for him tho, as we well know. He would bicker and fight and piss him off but his magic IS for Enj. He believes in the future of Albion just because he believes in Enjolras; destiny is shit and he won't be its bitch but one thing it got right, grantaire would not stop at anything to keep his king safe.

The other characters are more muddy:

I think Cosette could be a (good!)Morgana. Enj's half sibling, with powerful magic. BUT she could also be a good Gwen, with Marius as Lancelot and Jean Valjean as the town forger.

With Cosette as Morgana, Eponine could be her Gwen (and Cosette x Eponine x Marius would work so well here). Gwen!Eponine makes sense because it would keep her lower class status AND would put her in the position to be Grantaire first and best friend in Camelot.

I think that what would make the most sense about the line of succession would be for Enj and Cosette to be half siblings, children of a Duke who had an affair with Fantine (not that Fantine would...you can make this tragic); Fantine then married Jean Valjean (posing as a noble) to keep her honor and give Cosette a father (Valjean is perfectly aware of all of this. They made a patch). Tragedy struck and Enj parents die, so he is taken in by Javert (the king, enj's father brother) because he doesn't have any other descendant and Enj is now the second in line.

Fantine dies and Valjean is discovered to be an impostor posing as noble, and is forced to flee. Javert takes Cosette from him because he know the truth of her birth, so she is rightfully in line for the throne too.

I think most other roles could be shuffled around getting more distant from canon Merlin; we should have Joly as the court physician (or at least apprentice, as opposed to grantaire). Musichetta has her hands full running The Rising Sun, or another tavern/inn. Jehan is a druid in my heart, he could be Enj's contact with the old religion and its people.

Also Jean Valjean could be good not-related-to-Grantaire Balinor. It would give him a reason to be in hiding, and to be hated by Javert

Anyway this is all I have for now, but I'll probably add more later

[secretmellowblog]

So, when Les Mis was first published, this conservative reviewer named Felix and Courtat went on a tirade against Victor Hugo’s disgustingly sensuous portrayal of Marius and Cosette’s romance. Here are some excellent quotes from his review (courtesy of a translation by @psalm22-6 ).

First, he points out that if Marius is supposed to be Victor Hugo’s self insert, this is all a big plot hole:

This reviewer begins by complaining about Hugo's fixation on virginity:

Cosette and him, who have not spoken to one another, fall into each other's arms, call each other “tu,” and they give each other a deeply loving embrace, "the ineffable first embrace of two VIRGINITIES in the ideal,” as the author so aptly puts it. After bravely embracing following the first meeting with Cosette, Marius spends part of the night with her for six weeks, alone together, in brother and sister innocence. I am absolutely ignorant of the youth of M. V. Hugo, however I would readily believe that, in Marius, he wanted to paint himself at the age of twenty. Nevertheless, I would struggle to allow that such an adventure happened to him. . . other than in a dream. His adoration of VIRGINITY, which is found in Valjean, in Javert, in Marius, in Enjolras (I am only speaking of the men), leads his pen astray. But I’m afraid to push that point.

“If Marius represents Victor Hugo, he and Cosette would NEVER be this chaste. Hugo is far too much of a slut.”

Courtat continues:

Now, I will ask M. Victor Hugo, adorer of VIRGINITY, does he think he has honored the beginning of his austere old age as a writer by glorifying sensual passion through the love of Marius and Cosette to the extent that he did? He wrote with a smugness that should make this book forbidden to young girls, and which is unworthy of a social reformer. I hate lyricism applied to the flesh (to employ the least dishonest word); with great difficulty I forgive it with young people; but my pride of almost sixty-year-old is in agony to see one of my contemporaries write of its ecstasies.

I know we’ve reached the romance chapters in the year’s @lesmisletters readalong so I want to make sure your morals aren’t corrupted 🙏

[tinky-dinky]

Les Mis 2018 Live Watch: Episode Two

- Lil Cosette is tres adorable.

- Is that Olivia Colman as Madame Thenardier? Interesting.

- Lil Eponine and Azelma are tres adorable too.

- I like that they included Azelma. She gets left out in every other adaptation.

- Don’t do it, Fantine, I see you considering leaving Cosette. Do not.

- Is Gavroche born yet?

- Adeel Akbar is a great Monsieur Thenardier and Olivia Colman is growing on me.

- Don’t do it, Fantine. Poor little Cosette.

- Monsieur Madeleine time!

- They call him Pere Madeleine? That’s adorable.

- Oh bless him, he looks so uncertain of what to do with all these people praising and cheering him.

- Oof, that was an awkward speech.

- Fantine, just tell him. He won’t care.

- I wish it was that easy to get a job these days.

- I wonder why Valjean decided to make necklaces in his factory?

- Love seeing him being so generous with the kids. Almost makes up for him robbing poor Petit Gervais in the last episode.

- Candlesticks!

- Tiny Gavroche! I want to cuddle him. He deserves so much better.

- I almost feel sorry for Madame, but she just admitted to hating her son and is abusing Cosette too, so I got nothing.

- Javert! Ooh I can feel the tension. See, this is the kind of Javert I like, who can almost be a likeable person…then he begins talking about criminals. So close.

- He doesn’t recognise you, Valjean, you can relax. Unless that’s not why you’re tense, hmm?

- Interesting motivation for Javert there. Something related to his past? Did someone do something to him or someone he cares about and get away with it?

- ….uh oh. How does Javert know about Petit Gervais?

- The long coat works better for Javert, but still gives me Cowboy/Western vibes.

- Are they changing why Fantine gets fired? I would like it if they made her smart enough to not bring an incriminating letter to work.

- This is why you shouldn’t have left your daughter with a random couple you barely knew.

- What is Valjean’s forelady doing?

- They have been taken advantage of?!

- Thenardier you are a liar and a terrible person.

- If Gillenormand hates Napoleon so much, where did Marius get his love for Napoleon from?

- Dear lord, what did they do to little Marius??

- Gillenormand, you absolute piece of shit. I loathe you. (Once again, though, got to give props for David Bradley’s ability to portray loathsome people so well.).

- Nicolette, you superstar. I want her to take Marius and run. Raise him as your own. Or find Baron Pontmercy. You could raise him together.

- Do I ship Nicolette/Baron Pontmercy?

- I think I do.

- Ooh runaway cart time.

- Javert seems very interested. Because he recognises Valjean…or for other reasons?

- Is that Maester Luwin?

- Oh bugger off you judgemental old bitch.

- Valjean, watch yourself.

- Is it not obvious why she lied? Look at how your forelady is treating her!

- Valjean, what are you doing?

- Why is this show so insistent on making Valjean a bit of a douchebag? He’s supposed to be almost supernaturally kind!

- Poor Fantine. Actually feeling sorry for her now, and kinda liking Lily Collins’ performance.

- I hope you feel guilty, Valjean. You done fucked up.

- What are you doing?

- Oh no, don’t do that!

- Oh, wait, it’s Javert? I thought it was Valjean.

- Ah, it’s the fakeout. Never understood that, doesn’t the false Valjean not have his prison brand?

- Oh wait Valjean is there. What is going on?

- This seems risky. What if someone finds them? That pile of rocks is a dead giveaway that someone was doing something.

- I like horses. Just an aside.

- Oh good, they are letting little Marius see his dad.

- I thought this was supposed to happen later? I thought Georges died when Marius was a teenager/early twenties?

- Oh is this why Marius loves Napoleon?

- Also, no, you’re utterly wrong about Thenardier. Don’t listen to him Marius.

- Eww old man postie is a bit gross.

- Here comes the downward spiral. Poor Fantine.

- How does Fantine have white teeth?

- Oh my god old postie man stop being such a creep!

- Baldy? She clearly still has hair.

- Why are they acting like Lily Collins isn’t gorgeous, even with short hair and missing teeth?

- Fantine, they don’t care.

- They’re playing with you, you idiot.

- Look, as much as Javert is being a hardass, Fantine did attack that man. And having a child isn’t a excuse to get out of consequences.

- Uh-oh, Valjean, is that consequences for your actions? Oopsy daisy, you fucked up and you’ve got to deal with it.

- Here’s supernaturally kind Valjean again.

- Javert, you are neither a judge nor a court. You cannot sentence anyone.

- No fault of her own is a little exaggerated. She blindly ignored the glaring red flags around Monsieur Dickhead. Her friends warned her. She has a little fault here.

- Yeah, I don’t think praying is doing anything for anyone, Valjean.

- Please save Cosette, Valjean, and save Gavroche too. Two kids can’t be much harder than one.

- Javert, you self flagellating fool. At least he holds himself to the same standards as everyone else.

- Still don’t get how the false Valjean thing works.

- Surely, again, he doesn’t have the right brand?

- Uh-oh, there’s the consequences for one’s actions again. Justice for Petit Gervais.

- Is it just me or does Javert actually sound a little sad to no longer be chief inspector?

- What the hell is that wimple?

- No need to snap, Valjean.

- Guilty guilty Valjean.

- He kept the coin? Or is that the coin from the town?

- It seems he’s given himself another brand. It’ll be interesting to see if they remember to give him this brand in later episodes.

- No, Valjean, don’t trust the judgmental bitch to fetch Cosette! That’s a bad bad idea!

- Ooh pretty landscape shots.

Final Thoughts:

I don’t like that they keep making Valjean douchier than he was in the books, especially post redemption. Lily Collins grew on me as Fantine, though I doubt I’ll be seeing much more of her. Loving David Oyelowo’s Javert. The Thenardiers are good too, though jury’s out on whether or not Monsieur Thenardier can pull off being an actual criminal type ala Dog Eats Dog.

Got to go to sleep now. Will watch more in the morning.

[everyonewasabird]

Brickclub 5.7.1 “The Seventh Circle and the Eighth Heaven” Part two

It’s bizarre to hear Marius talk as much as he does when he first walks in, especially about a subject that isn’t, say, Napoleon. Before Valjean speaks, he talks at length about the perfect setup Valjean will have in the house, and honestly he sounds a lot more like Cosette than he sounds like himself.

Clearly, Hugo wants to present Valjean with a vision of paradise before Valjean himself dashes it. Which Valjean immediately does.

It’s wild that neither Valjean nor apparently the text itself understands that the greatest danger to Cosette isn’t the state or public opinion--it’s Marius. Valjean knew perfectly well yesterday that any irregularities in her background might end the marriage preparations. Does he and/or the book really think that fiances are fickle but no husband will ever penalize his wife for having a background that wasn’t what he thought when he married her? (I really should read Wide Sargasso Sea some time; but also, that thought makes me think about how I wish there were more published Les Mis tie-ins, including some literary reimaginings like that. Good political takes only, please.)

Why does the fact that Cosette is now left entirely at Marius’s mercy--and the fact that we KNOW CANONICALLY that Marius will mistreat her when she’s at his mercy--never enter into any of the themes of this story? Does Hugo really just believe nothing bad can happen to a wealthy, married bourgeois woman? She’s escaped Fantine’s fate, so no other bad thing can happen to her??

Mellow was pointing out on Discord how much Valjean takes on aspects of Javert in this chapter, and it’s true: Valjean describes how he’s on the outside of society looking in, how he’s never had a family and can never have one, and then he grabs his own collar as if arresting himself (while talking about his “implacable duty”) because Javert is no longer there to do it.

It really is a pretty bad sign for the wisdom and trueness of this argument.

I don’t know where to start with what he’s actually saying, so, bullet points:

- There’s an emotional core that makes sense here: he hates the idea of lying about who he is to people close to him forever, and I get that! I really, really hate that he only thought of this when Marius showed up, and that disclosure to Cosette was never something he considered--or could consider.

- Hugo is writing marginalization the way Hugo nearly always writes marginalization, where the marginalized can only see himself from the mainstream bourgeois pov, not from any pov arising from the community he belongs to. Valjean regards his existence as a pestilence that might infect the good, innocent bourgeois characters he comes near--which is a wildly bourgeois way of thinking about a convict. You see similar things with Grantaire and queerness, with Javert and class, and with Eponine and class--it would make sense if former convicts felt pretty fucking different about not mentioning that they’re former convicts than the bourgeoisie felt about them not mentioning it. Things aren’t generally this shocking and appalling--even if they’re ongoingly traumatic--if they’re just the history of your life.

At the same time, it makes sense, given the way Valjean has crushed his former anger and renounced his former self and melded his views with the bourgeoisie, that he doesn’t have any kind of class consciousness or marginalized solidarity he can see himself from, so he’s internalized the wider society’s hatred. But I don’t love the way almost every marginalized character in this book has somehow also done exactly that.

- The fact that Valjean can only perceive God from somewhere that feels like hell is pretty telling, and pretty awful. He really doesn’t know what goodness might feel like or be without suffering. He says, “for me to respect myself, I have to be despised by others,” and it really just sounds like he’s internalized the worst things society wanted him to internalize. The “seventh circle” being for suicides does fit horribly well here.

- As soon as Valjean references a concrete threat posed by his identity (the police might arrest him), Marius offers a concrete solution (pardon), and Valjean quickly backtracks to keep from letting this conversation be about solvable problems. Like: there’s a version of this scene where he’s tired of lying so he comes clean and lets Marius and Cosette respond about whether they still want him around. He is actively refusing that option. He’s not here to choose honesty, he’s here to choose death.

Assorted other observations:

“He gulped in air painfully and then tossed out these final words: “Once upon a time I stole a loaf of bread to live; today, to live, I will not steal a name.”

“To live!” Marius broke in. “You don’t need that name to live?”

“Ah, I know what I’m saying,” answered Jean Valjean, nodding slowly several times.”

This is so stark, and so heartbreaking. Valjean hasn’t learned the lesson of this book--or remembered the thing he knew at the start of this book--that stealing something you need to survive is morally justifiable, and it’s society that was in the wrong for withholding it. Never mind the verbal trickery by which he’s made taking Fauchelevent’s name “theft” when he admitted a page ago that it was freely given--if it was theft, theft to live is justified.

But he’s fully swallowed the same carceral logic Javert did: if the state can imprison you for something, you are a bad person for doing that thing.

Honestly, it feels pretty clear to me that the book is coming out strongly against this choice Valjean is making.

And then, Cosette comes in and Marius tries to send her away because they’re talking about things that are none of her business--that is, the use that’s going to be made of her money. Reminder that Cosette has been handling the house finances since before Marius found out what rent was. Fuck Napoleon and his fucking marriage laws.

And she seems to be desperately ingratiating herself and trying to smooth over something weird here that she can’t identify, and STILL this book doesn’t seem to quite understand that the biggest danger to her is how Marius chooses to treat her.

And yet--

(Cosette speaking to Valjean):

“You can see very well that I’m extremely unhappy at home. My husband beats me. So come here, give me a kiss immediately.”

COSETTE knows that that’s a thing that can happen, even if she’s obviously joking here. (What a joke, fucking hell. But we know Gillenormand has been making this kind of “joke” already.) Cosette is perfectly capable of realizing “I am not automatically safe just because I’m married; I still need the father I love and trust and have depended on for years,” and she’s saying so.

Not that anybody is going to listen.

Valjean argues himself into being exiled from Cosette, and then a moment later he reverts fully to the voice that all the most desperate misérables speak in. He sounds exactly like Fantine begging Javert to let her go when he begs to be allowed to see Cosette a little. Marius assents.

By the end of the chapter, they’ve been restored to the roles of the bourgeois and the misérable, and maybe it’s that even more than the facts of is past that was the “truth” Valjean wanted to convey. I’m left with the feeling that the “lie” he wanted rectified was the same one that so affronted Javert when he found out Madeleine was really Valjean:

Valjean is operating fully within the conviction that what a misérable deserves is to be put in his place.

[mycurrentobsessionis]

I don't disagree that Cosette maybe should have known sooner, but I don't think Hugo was condoning keeping secrets from Cosette. There is a segment of the novel where Hugo narrates at length that Cosette and Valjean have a communication problem that leads to them both suffering in silence because they love each other and don't want to hurt each other. This is very much presented as a bad thing.

And the fact of the matter is that Valjean's past is not Cosette's trauma, exactly. It is Valjean's, and no matter what he said, hiding his past from Cosette was not to "protect his helpless baby girl" -- it was to protect himself. He was deeply ashamed of having been a convict, which is central to his character. And why wouldn't he? Everything about being a convict, both then and today, is set up to shame and punish people forever, even after they've served their time. He had to report for parole anywhere he went. He had to show his papers before he took a job or stayed in an inn or rented a house. He literally had to change his name and adopt a new identity to escape that hell and rebuild his life.

Cosette was raised in a society that hated convicts and treated them as undesirables. As people who are inherently bad people who cannot be redeemed. That's why Javert literally killed himself when confronted with evidence that this wasn't true. That's why Marius was angry with Valjean when he learned the truth about his past -- and immediately tracked Valjean down and apologized when confronted with evidence that those beliefs were untrue.

There is a scene where Cosette and Valjean see some prisoners working, and she expresses disgust and fear. Valjean, who already feels that Catholic guilt for his past, witnesses the girl he raised see someone who shares something in common with him and is visibly horrified. Of course he doesn't tell her the truth -- the idea of this girl that he loves so much reviling him is terrifying. She is his reason for living.

Now, Marius does hide the truth from Cosette to protect her, but again, it's not out of seeing Cosette as a helpless waif. It's likely because he (1) loves her, (2) knows she loves her father, and so (3) doesn't want to ruin her view of her father right before he dies. Remember, Marius has experience in this area -- he spent his whole childhood hating his father as some horrible monster of a man. And since most kids understand themselves as half of each parent, it's likely that Marius would have harbored a little self-hatred as well. Then his father died, and he had the trauma of confronting all these complicated feelings -- anger, hurt, grief -- alone at 17, and then realized that his grandfather lied to him his whole life. Which meant that the last father-figure in his life was terrible and valued his own pride above Marius' well-being. Marius understands having daddy issues. So why would he want to pass that on to his wife and damage her vision of her father right as he was reaching the end of his life? Better he pass away before she knows her father is a criminal right? And to give him credit, the moment he realizes that he is wrong about convicts = bad people, he rushes to correct his mistake and ensure Cosette gets the chance to learn the truth about her father and see him again.

I don't know if Marius should have been the one to tell her, either. I do believe that particular revelation needed to come from her father, not her husband. Frankly, I think Marius being the one to tell her would have made it worse. Cosette forgiving both of them is not "excusing" any of this either -- Cosette loves both Valjean and Marius, and she understands that they did what they did out of love for her, as well as their own pain and trauma. Does it make everything right? No, but how does holding anger for people she loves for making a mistake help her? There was no mean intent from them, and she knew that. Plus I think Cosette deserves better than having an ever-after with a man she can't forgive.

tl;dr: Cosette is never presented as too helpless to handle the truth. Marius and Valjean are just traumatized motherfuckers who made the choice they believed would protect their family unit.

cosette’s “happy ending” is bullshit and she deserves a handwritten apology from victor hugo himself for excusing how marius indirectly led to her father’s death because both her father and husband insisted on treating her like a helpless little girl instead of telling her the truth about HER OWN PAST. HER OWN FAMILY. HER OWN TRAUMA.

I love valjean. I don’t (always) hate marius. they are complex characters and products of their time. but dear god. justice for cosette.

[dolphin1812]

“Ten years later, with the love of Marius in her heart, she would have replied, "An insufferable pedant, you are quite right."”

I love that a Cosette fully in love with Marius (in the future) would be the first to mock him. 

Tragically, this chapter specifies that Valjean is sad (which must mean he’s truly distressed, since being sad is one of his main characteristics). Still, Valjean is portrayed as the threat here (although Marius seems very incompetent in a hilarious way). His desire to keep Cosette’s love is, here, almost controlling. It frames love as a competition (or, too keep with the military metaphors, war) between him and Marius for Cosette, rather than a bind between each of them. His wish to be loved by Cosette is heartbreaking in that he doesn’t always process that she already loves him, but her love isn’t a reward, either. It’s a practice that they each choose to undertake because they care about each other. 

Worst of all:

“Then his [Valjean’s] eyeballs were filled with a mournful and extraordinary brilliancy; he was no longer a man looking at a man, no longer an enemy looking at an enemy, he was a dog watching a robber.”

He basically hates Marius so much that he becomes Javert! Though unintentionally, Valjean’s wish to keep Marius away could limit Cosette’s freedom, trapping her like he was trapped before. He doesn’t, exactly; they do move, but he also goes back to the gardens with Cosette when he realizes she’s really upset. But it’s still not a good sign that he’s like a guard dog. That he’s idealizing the convent (which, though peaceful, was depicted as a supernatural cage full of decay) is also ominous, suggesting that he’s unintentionally replicating the prisons he’s used to.